Control system for window shutters



Oct. 6, 1953 r o. VlCCl 2,654,427

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WINDOW SHUTTERS Filed Aug. 27, 1951 I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 fin whim rlan Vic Oct. 6, 1953 o. VICCI 2,654,427

CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WINDOW SHUTTERS Filed Aug. 27, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 6, 1953 o. VICCl CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WINDOW SHUTTERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 27, 1951 hdel to Qhdo v Patented Oct. 6, 1953 GONTR'OL -SY STEM FOR :SHUTTERS Application :mrgustw, r951, 'Sci'ial No. 1243:9011 lnzltal nu ustasso till-aims. 1

This invention relates to .a control system-(for window -shutters of the type having vanes which may rotate around an axis.

-A purpose of this inventionis that :of providing --a control system allowing the vanes to the totally lifted, -or oriented, when the shutter .-is lowered, with mechanically simple means and :of safe operation.

A further purpose of this-invention is that of embodying a system allowing all the shutter and the lifting and orienting means for the vanes to be assembled in the sole fixture-of the window.

According to the invention is provided to control a shutter formed by a series of rectangular flat elements made of a plastic substance, wood, light metal or the like, having :each the possibility of rotating around a shaftparal-lel to its greater side, while in their turn the shafts may be vertically lifted upwards, rotating inthe meantime the vanes inorder to assemble them-in the minimum space. The various shafts are preferably connected by a system of articulated parallelograms which form, :oneach side of the shutter, a lazy tong. The system comprises therefore substantially the means for displacing along a guide contained in the fixture the vane shafts, and the means for rotating all together the different vanes, each around its own shaft.

The invention is shown in a preferred form of embodiment in the attached drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of the lowered shutter; i.

Fig. 2 shows the cross-sectionof Fig, 1 along the line -II--.II wherein the positionof maximum opening of the vanes is shown in dotted line;

Fig. '3 shows -a cross-section similar to that of Fig. 2, with the vanes assembled upwards;

:Fig. 4 shows in an enlarged :scale the crosssection of Fig. =l along the line IV-IV;

Fig. 5 shows the cross-section of A along theline V-V;

Fig. Gshowsafront detail elevation of the control system for the inclination of the vanes;

Fig. -7 shows the side view :of the system of Fig. '6; i

Fig. 8 shows in perspective view the control means-for the inclination of the vanes, and

Fig. -9 shows a cross-section of a difierentrform of embodiment of the control system of the vanes.

With reference to the drawing, the shutterconsists in a-ser-iesof vanes or shutter slats 1, contained, together with their control systems, in a fi-x-ture frame substantially rectangular 2, comprising also the leafed window (Figs. 2 and 3). Each vane 1, rectangular, is mounted on =a central shaft 3 parallel to the greater side of the rectangle, which shaft is supported at its ends (Fig. 4) from the crossing points of the lazytong elements '5, these connected between thems'elvesat the fulcrum-or pivot B so as to form a lazy-tongs lever comprising a -series of *aft-icngated parallelograms.

The lazy-tongs arrangea merit ensures the perfect equidistance between the different shafts -3, in accordance with the deformations to which the various articulated parallelograms of the lazy-tongs lever are subjected when the shutter is lifted. Inside the articulated armsfi, each shaft 3 .is provided with a roller 1 which may-glide alongfthe guide T8. The lifting of the various shafts --3 :and therefore the opening of the shutter is obtainediby means-of a system of non-elastic but flexible ties, substantially strings or the like 41, which win'd along pulleys :10 placed externally to the vertical line of the lateral end of the vanes and which are fixedrin'a-point H (Figs. 1 and d) of the shaft 3 of the lower element, so as to lift i't,-gliding its roller 1 along the central vertical guide "8. Thus the contemporaneous deformation of all the parallelog-rams formed by the elements '15 is 6btained, and the different :shafts arelifted remain.- ing all equidistant between themselves, untillthe complex of the articulated.parallelograins reaches theposition shown in :dotted line in "Fig. A and the'vanes assume the position of Fig. 3.

.In order to :allow the deformation of the articulated ,parallelograms the :upper and lower terminal elements 5 end *each by a bushing 12. "The .two upper bushings 12, as well as the two "lower bushings 12, are inserted on a shaft 13 along which theyglide in order to allow the widening of the elements 5 allowing the higher of the shafts =3 to come .near the upper surface it of the fixture.

The vanes are brought close to one another by means :of their rotation until they are all parallel "in horizontal. planes. Said rotation occurs owing to the mutual action of the vanes, while the upper vane is vrota'te'd by an arm [5 which :at the moment of the liftingof the system rotates said upper vane as it will be better disclosed here below.

The rotation of the vanes, eachar'ound its own shaft, is counterbalanced by iheli'cal springs TS inserted on one-of the ends o'feach s'haft'3. "To the-other endof each shaft 3 is fixed "an arm l1 which rotates the vanes {I, when the shutter -is lowered, against the action of the aforecited spring Hi. --'All the various arms H are connected between themselves by an 'ineXtens'ibl'e element or vertical rod 18 which maybe formed by separately connected {flexible elements or by rigid articulated elements provided with a stop inem- Joer ensuring the correct articulation of the two elements. llh'is way, when the lower "or upper arm is actuated, it "drives all the other arms orienting thus"theflilferent'vanes "I so as to "allow all the positionscomprised between the outward subvertical position and'the inward =subv'ertical position (totally closed shutter),- passing through the horizontal position (totally open shutter). It is to be noted that the arm I 1 controlling the upper vane I is provided With a downwards extendingprojection *l'apn actszailever 2o 7 controlled by one of the arms of the immediately lower parallelogram. When the vanes are lifted, i. e. when the lateral parallelograms are widened, the arm 2!] acts on the projection I9 of the arm I! rotating the uppermost vane I so that its upper edge does not hit the surface I4 of the fixture.

For the inclination control of the vanes it is provided to apply outside the fixture a small handle 2! (Fig. 6) provided with a pommel 22 with a shaft which may be inserted in a series of holes 23 so as to establish definitely the various rotations of the handle 2|. Said handle controls inside the fixture and by means of the shaft 230. a member 24 acting on the arm I! corresponding to the shaft 3 of the lower vane, so that the diiferent rotations of the shaft 23a correspond to lowerings of the arm [7. Owing to the tie existing between the different arms 17, to each position of the shaft 23 corresponds an inclination of the various vanes. In order to lift the shutter it is sufiicient to bring the vanes back to their vertical position.

A different form of embodiment of the control system for the vanes l is shown in cross-section in Fig. 9, wherein by 25 has been marked a shaft inserted in the fixture 26 within a tube 27 forming a guide for said shaft.

Said shaft has at one end a handle 23 which may rotate the shaft. The shaft 25, furthermore, may glide in axial direction, into the fixed tube 2?, against the action of a spring 22. The end of the shaft 25 remote from the handle 28 is provided with a key 35 which may engage a pulley 3| rotating on said tube 27. The engagement between the pulley and the key 30 occurs when the spring 28 is expanded and in said condition it is possible, by rotating the handle 28, to rotate the pulley 3i whereon winds the flexible element for the control of the vanes. In order to glide the shaft 25 in respect of the tube 27, it is sufficient to operate the handle so as to compress the spring 29; this way the disengagement of the key at from the pulley 31 is obtained and the pulley is free to rotate allowing the vanes to come back to their vertical position owing to the springs acting on their shafts 3.

The stop of the handle is obtained by means of a certain number of elastic pins 32 acting on a small plate 33 solidal with the handle 28. The return in vertical position of the vanes may also be obtained by rotating the handle, instead of axially displacing the handle and the shaft controlled by this latter.

The arrangement aforedisclosed may be varied without issuing from the scope of this invention; for instance the lifting control of the shutter, instead of a flexible element, may be obtained by means of a rigid drive acting on two articulations corresponding to the shafts 3 nearing them in order to lift the shutter. In the figure is shown an helical spring 3 inserted on the shaft 13, acting between the two bushings l2 in order to space them away, cooperating thus to the lifting of the shutter; such spring may be abolished, and also the upper arms of the last articulation may be abolished, by providing a U-shaped guide suitable to allow the lifting of said last articulation.

Also the helical springs it placed on the ends of the shafts 3 may be substituted by springs of a different type, and the rollers I may be abolished, by substituting them by means of a gliding element suitable to guide the movements of the shafts 3 along the guide 8.

I claim:

1. A control system for Venetian blind comprising, in combination, a plurality of shutter slats each slidably and resiliently mounted on a central horizontal shaft at each end thereof in a framework, each slat being provided at its two ends with a pivot by which the slats are each connected to the corresponding pivot at the center of articulated parallelogram elements of a lazy-tongs lever which is slidably movable up a vertical guide and connected to the top of the guide at the top of the framework, resilient spring means mounted at one end of the pivot of each slat to urge the slat in a substantially vertical position, a lever means at the other end of the pivot of each slat to rotate the slats against the action of said resilient spring means through the successive positions from the vertical to the hori-' zontal, each of said lever means being connected to a common vertical rod to transmit the rotation from the lower slat to the upper slats, manually operated lever means cooperating with the lever means at the end of the pivot of the lowest slat to rotate the lowest slat and the remaining slats, and lifting means to vertically lift the plurality of slats.

2. A control system for Venetian blind comprising, in combination, a plurality of shutter slats each slidably and resiliently mounted on a central horizontal shaft at each end thereof in a framework, each slat being provided at its two ends with a pivot by which the slats are each connected to the corresponding pivot at the center of articulated parallelogram elements of a lazy-tongs lever which is slidably movable up a vertical guide and connected to the top of the guide at the top of the framework, resilient spring means mounted at one end of the pivot of each slat to urge the slat in a substantially vertical position, a lever means at the other end of the pivot of each slat to rotate the slats against the action of said resilient spring means through the successive positions from the vertical to the horizontal, each of said lever means being connected to a common vertical rod to transmit the rotation from the lower slat to the upper slats, manually operated lever means cooperating with the lever means at the end of the pivot of the lowest slat to rotate the lowest slat and the remaining slats, lifting means to vertically lift the plurality of slats, and a projection means at the ends of the slats which limits the rotary movement of the lever means at the ends of each of the slats.

3. A control system as in claim 1 wherein the lazy-tongs lever is slidably connected to a horizontal shaft at the top of the framework which urges the upper slat into a horizontal relationship when the slats are lifted, and the manually operated lever means cooperating with the lever means at the end of the pivot of the lowest slat is provided with an indicating perforated plate to indicate the manual rotation of the lever.

4. A control system as in claim 1 wherein the manually operated lever means to rotate the lowest slat comprises a knob rotating in a shaft which is movable axially in a fixed tube to press against a spring and engage a pulley which winds the resilient spring means to rotate the slats.

VICCI, ORLANDO.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,661,709 Tate Mar. 6, 1928 1,965,262 Sergi July 3, 1934 2,167,840 Hepworth Aug. 1, 1939 2,237,850 Stobie Apr. 8, 1941 

